1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an improved reading assistance device for a word processing system, and more particularly to an improved reading assistance device which assists an operator of the system to quickly and easily read written matter which he or she enters into the word processing system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art includes a wide variety of devices which hold sheets or continuous webs of paper so that a typist or word processor operator may see the written matter on the paper and enter it into the word processing system. Some of these devices include components which automatically advance paper through a viewing area. Others include components which allow the operator to manually advance the paper.
One prior device includes an easel supported by an articulated arm and a clamp which secures the arm to the edge of a horizontal surface. This device is a complex mechanism susceptible to breakdown. First, it requires that an edge portion of a horizontal work surface panel lie proximate the work space of the operator. In addition, it requires time consuming initial adjustment to place the viewing area at the location desired by the word processor operator.
Another prior mechanism includes a large easel and stand which require a horizontal surface and a great deal of space. This device is also a complex mechanism susceptible to break down. It and the device described in the previous paragraph require that the user place them on either side of a visual display terminal of the word processing system. At these locations, the operator cannot quickly shift his or her vision from the paper to the screen. This deficiency reduces the efficiency of the operator and increases the cost of word processing services.
The improved reading assistance device of the present invention avoids the problems of the prior devices. It is a simple and inexpensive device. It allows the user to place it beneath the visual display terminal of a word processing system where it supports the visual display terminal. In this location, the device allows the operator to easily view the written matter on paper which it secures and which it advances at a speed at which the operator may vary. It minimizes the operator's eye and head movements, increases his or her efficiency, and thus reduces the cost of word processing services.